APS evaluation underway for superintendent

May 18—A little more than a year after he was officially chosen as superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools, Scott Elder is about to get his report card.

APS board members met behind closed doors — and without Elder — Tuesday morning to discuss their individual evaluations of his work over the first year of his contract, which ends on June 30, 2024.

Board members will write up a summary and give it to Elder by the end of the week, according to a timeline they discussed in early April.

He began doing the job in 2020, succeeding former Superintendent Raquel Reedy, who announced her retirement in October 2019. He served as acting superintendent from July 2020 until the school board formally selected him for the position in March 2021.

Elder's contract was approved the next month. His annual salary began at $225,000, but the contract states that it can go up each year based on his evaluation and available state funds. Only board member Peggy Muller-Aragón voted against the contract last year.

He'll be the subject of yearly evaluations, according to his contract. The board will also decide whether to extend his contract each year.

They're expected to discuss their evaluation of Elder on Monday morning, and may share comments from that conversation in a public meeting. Board members will update and vote on his contract the week of June 13.

As interim superintendent, Elder is credited with helping APS through its transition to remote learning during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About a week after his contract was approved, Elder sent a letter to Attorney General Hector Balderas describing his administration's suspicions that then-Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, who was also an APS employee, violated the state procurement code and General Conduct Act. She was the APS director of Career and Technical Education before she was placed on administrative leave by Elder and later fired.

At the time of the letter, Stapleton was the New Mexico House floor majority leader. She resigned amid the allegations.

That letter triggered an investigation by the office, which included search warrants on her Albuquerque home, APS offices, and the state Legislature. In September, Stapleton was charged with more than two dozen felonies, including racketeering and money laundering. A trial in her case is scheduled for December.

Before Elder served as interim superintendent, he worked as APS' chief operations officer. His career in the district has spanned over three decades and several roles, including teacher and principal.